Driven by farmers' expectations of higher crop yields and/or lower production costs, management time savings, and other benefits, the rate at which U.S. farmers adopt genetically engineered (GE) crop varieties continues to increase.

ERS conducts research on a number of agricultural biotechnology issues, including:

• Extent of adoption of commercially available varieties of GE crops by U.S. farmers. See data on the extent of GE adoption for more information.
• Farmer motivations for adopting GE crops, the relationship between adoption of GE crops and yields, and the relationship between adoption of GE crops and pesticide use. See The First Decade of Genetically Engineered Crops in the United States (April 2006) for more information on these issues.
• The economic effects of adoption of GE crops (see Off-Farm Income, Technology Adoption, and Farm Economic Performance (Feb. 2007) for more on this topic).
• Research and development in the seed industry (see Chapter 2 of Research Investments and Market Structure in the Food Processing, Agricultural Input, and Biofuel Industries Worldwide (Dec. 2011) for more on this topic.
• Consumer attitudes toward biotechnology and the role of consumer preferences in shaping market trends (see The First Decade of Genetically Engineered Crops in the United States (April 2006) for more information on this. 

ERS has also initiated research on the coexistance of GE, and organic/non-GE crop production.

A book from the National Research Council titled The Impact of Genetically Engineered Crops on Farm Sustainability in the United States (2010) is a comprehensive assessment of the environmental, economic, and social impacts of the GE-crop revolution on U.S. farms.

Last updated: Friday, June 15, 2012

For more information contact: Jorge Fernandez-Cornejo